GRAND ISLE, La. — Paradise lost is now in the process of being found again.
Just 20 months ago, Grand Isle took a devastating punch from Hurricane Ida.
Every one of the town’s 2,500 structures was damaged with 700 of them destroyed as the Category 4 storm came ashore.
Storm surge pushed three feet of sand onto LA1, the main road through town.
The electrical grid and water and drainage systems also took major hits.
Mayor David Carmardelle says the island may have been knocked down, but not out.
“Grand Isle is open to the public right now," he said. "The beach is beautiful. It’s unbelievable how far we’ve come.”
By boat, you can see the protective rock jetties being repaired.
The Army Corps of Engineers patched up 12 cuts in the town’s levee system and will be back this summer to finalize construction.
Everywhere you turn, crews are rebuilding homes and camps.
“All the new construction, all the new buildings, people have their camps back up and running,” Jefferson Parish Councilman At-Large Rickey Templet said.
Chris Collins owns Joe Bobs’ Gas and Grill, a Grand Isle landmark.
He says his business, like the island itself, is seeing a slow, but steady resurgence.
“It’s a new normal," Collins said. "It always will be when you live on a barrier island. Things change quite quickly. But we’re happy here and yeah, I look forward to the future.”
That includes visitors returning, Collins added.
“I’m expecting a strong rebound. Grand Isle is a very special place.”
The island still has drainage and waterline issues.
Storm debris litters the back bay of the island.
Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng says the insurance crisis has also become a speed bump on the road to recovery.
“It’s very frustrating for people still and for new people who want to rebuild, their prior claim, the thought of paying higher premiums like that," Sheng said.
Certainly, Grand Isle took its licks during Hurricane Ida, but Mayor Carmadelle says the fishing here is as good as it ever was, and he promises his beaches will be open this summer.
“As long as there’s one grain of sand to plant the American flag, Grand Isle ain’t going nowhere. I can promise you that," Carmadelle said.
The Army Corps of Engineers is in the middle of a $122 million project to repair the island’s storm defense.
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